


Guising

by phalangine



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 08:11:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12295032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phalangine/pseuds/phalangine
Summary: “Daddy, come on!”Leonard sighs. He’d been surprised when Joss agreed to let him have Jo for Halloween and even more surprised when Jo had told him she'd already picked out his costume. He should have seen this coming. His ex must have had a hand in this. It's his punishment for thinking their divorce was amicable.





	Guising

“Daddy, come _on_!”

Leonard sighs. He’d been surprised when Joss agreed to let him have Jo for Halloween and even more surprised when Jo had told him she'd already picked out his costume. He should have seen this coming. His ex must have had a hand in this. It's his punishment for thinking their divorce was amicable.

“I'm comin’, darlin’,” he calls, adjusting his green leggings one final time.

The things he does for his kid…

He emerges from his room with a sigh, only to be tackled by his daughter.

She looks up at him with those big eyes of hers and beams at him. “We’re twins!”

Yes, they are. Leonard's punishment is that he, like his daughter, is dressed as a sunflower. He can hear Geoffrey and Uhura laughing already. And Chapel will manage to get a hundred pictures of him, no doubt.

But his little girl is squeezing him tight, and she hasn't looked happy like this since Leonard and Joss told her they were getting a divorce.

“All right, then,” he says, gently prying her off his waist. “Let's go show off our costumes at Mr. Pike’s. Miss Christine has been wondering what you picked.”

She nods quickly, and Leonard mentally braces himself for the impending shitstorm.

 

**_xx_ **

 

True to form, the first person to laugh is Geoffrey. He manages to hold it in until Leonard gets Jo settled comfortably in a chair, a cup of punch in hand, with Chekov for company- at least until the Sulus arrive with Demora, who's exactly Jo’s age and gets along with her famously. Until then, though, Jo will be fine with Chekov. She's got something of a crush on their resident Russian whizz kid, and Chekov knows enough (or makes up enough lies) about horses to keep her entertained for hours.

Which leaves Leonard without protection against his colleagues.

There are tears streaming down Geoffrey’s green-painted face, he's laughing so hard. “You look ridiculous,” he crows, voice rising. “You're the angriest sunflower I've ever seen.”

Leonard glares at him, which only makes Geoffrey laugh harder.

Luckily for them both, Pike comes over. He raises one brow at Leonard’s attire but manages not to laugh outright.

“Having a good time, gentlemen?” he asks mildly.

Leonard nods, while Geoffrey merely lets out another howl of laughter.

Pike sighs and walks away, clearly knowing a lost cause when he sees one.

“It's not that funny,” Leonard points out.

“Yes, it is,” Geoffrey gasps. “It really, really is.”

Leonard rolls his eyes, but before he can explain exactly why there is nothing funny about a father indulging his daughter, someone knocks into him.

“Shit, sorry!”

“It's fine,” Leonard says. His tone is only a little bit sour- he's glad for the distraction from Geoffrey's excessive mirth at least.

The guy who bumped into him doesn't look convinced. “If is known I’d spend the whole night bumping into people, I would've picked a different costume,” he says, scratching at his neck.

Leonard can see why. The guy is dressed like a honey bee- and wearing his own set of leggings, though his are black where Leonard's are green- complete with a large back end that must have been what knocked into Leonard.

“Really, it's fine,” Leonard assures him.

Perking up, the guy holds out a hand. “Jim Kirk.”

Leonard takes it, thinking as he does that the name sounds familiar. “Leonard McCoy.”

Jim clasps his hand warmly, and Leonard finds his mood improving. Geoffrey wandered off at some point, no doubt to go find Chapel, and, with nothing better to do, Leonard engages Jim.

“You don't work at the hospital,” he says. “I’d know if you did.”

Jim ducks his head. “Yeah, I'm technically still doing my residency. I only got the night off because Pike’s my mentor and he wanted me to network.”

Networking is Leonard's least favorite part of being in medicine. He remembers when he was just starting out and had to rely his father's connections, most of whom were either retired themselves or about to be.

“Well, you lucked out if you're looking for a surgeon,” Leonard tells him. “What's your specialty?”

“Pediatrics.”

Leonard resists the urge to wince. “Can't say I'll be much help, then. Have you met Ben Sulu yet?”

Jim shakes his head. “Pike mentioned him, but I haven't seen him.”

“He’ll stop off in the front room to drop his daughter off with Jo,” Leonard explains. “Come on. If we wait out there, we’ll be sure to catch him.”

He turns and starts walking away, certain Jim will follow. Sure enough, when Leonard reaches Jo and turns around, Jim is just a step behind.

He falters when he sees her. “Your daughter?”

“Yeah,” Leonard says, forcing himself not to get tense. “Matching costumes was her idea.”

Jim’s mouth turns up in a smile. “That's adorable.”

Relaxing, Leonard nods. “She's a good kid, and I couldn't tell her no, not with all she's been through this year.”

Usually Leonard doesn't talk about his divorce, but something about Jim makes him open up. He tells Jim about how hard it was to realize he wasn't going to have Jo all the time. He wasn't going to be able to fall asleep knowing where she was, knowing she was safe. He tells him how much he hated making his little girl cry.

“I know it was the right thing to do,” he says quietly. “Joss and I were miserable, and it was only to get worse. But even though it was amicable, we put Jo through something no kid should have to deal with.”

Jim puts a hand on Leonard's shoulder. “Kids need happy parents. Believe me. It's easier to rebound from a tough patch than a whole uncertain childhood.”

Something about Jim’s words carries weight, and Leonard finds himself nodding.

They've lapsed into a charged silence when Leonard hears a familiar squeal.

“That’ll be Demora,” he tells Jim, just as a pink blur dashes past, headed straight for Joanna.

The squealing multiplies for a moment as the two hug and examine each other’s costumes before quieting down.

Craning his neck, Leonard spots Hikaru tugging Ben through the crowd. “Come on,” he says, turning to look at Jim. “Let's get you introduced.”

Jim follows him again as Leonard makes to meet the Sulus at the table with the refreshments.

Ben spots him first. “Leonard! I was wondering where you were- we just saw Jo.”

Leonard smiles and returns the one-armed hug Ben wraps him in. He's always liked Ben; besides being a damn good physician, the man has the sort of instant charm that seems impossible to resist. He's warm and welcoming, and no matter how much it makes Hikaru roll his eyes, Ben genuinely cares about everyone.

“Good to see you, too,” Leonard says when Ben finally lets go. “And you, Hikaru. Still fencing?”

“You know I am,” Hikaru says, reclaiming his husband with an arm around Ben’s waist.

“Good to hear it. Now, as glad as I am to see you two, I do have an agenda.” Both Sulus raise their brows as Leonard reaches behind himself and tugs Jim forward. “Jim, this is Ben Sulu. Ben, I’d like you to meet Jim Kirk.”

“I've heard of you,” Ben says as he shakes Jim’s hand. “You're Pike’s kid, aren't you? You've been making waves with some of your theories.”

Jim shrugs. “Sometimes systems need to be shaken up.”

Ben smiles, wide and genuine. “That they do. I'm guessing you picked pediatrics, considering you're talking to me.”

“I did. I've got some questions, if you don't mind.”

Ben’s smile gets impossibly wider. “I always have time for a young mind.”

He waves Jim over, and Leonard watches, pleased, as the Sulus lead Jim away.

He doesn't get to enjoy the feeling for long before he hears a familiar scream of a laugh.

“Oh, Leonard!” Uhura’s already wiping at her eyes as she reaches him, her silver makeup smudged where tears have rolled down her cheeks. “Leonard, you look absolutely adorable. You and little Jo match! I need to get a picture. Where's Spock?”

“How would I know where your boyfriend is?” Leonard grumbles.

It only takes Spock a second to materialize. He's dressed as a butter knife next to Uhura's fork. They're a disgustingly cute couple who do disgustingly cute things like coordinate their costumes.

Last year they got Ben and Hikaru to join them and be Teletubbies. Leonard barely managed to save Jo from seeing Tinky-Winky and Po making out.

“There you are,” Uhura says, patting Spock’s shoulder. “I need to get some pictures. Do you have my purse?”

He does, it turns out, and Leonard sighs and lets Uhura get her photos.

“I'll get some of you and Miss Jo later,” she threatens before swanning off with Spock.

Leonard doesn't doubt it.

 

**_xx_ **

 

It's nearly nine o’clock, and Leonard isn’t much better. He's sitting slouched on one half of the couch with Jo asleep on his lap. She’ll be too big to do it soon, so he tries to memorize the sight while he can.

He’s stroking her hair and debating whether it's time to go or not when the cushion shifts. Looking up, he spots Jim.

“Have a good talk with Ben?”

Jim nods. “He’s a good guy, but damn, he knows a lot of people.”

“That he does.”

They lapse into a comfortable silence for a while- or what initially feels comfortable, until Leonard notices Jim fidgeting. He tries to wait Jim out. He does.

In the end, though, he's tired, and he has work in the morning.

“What?”

Jim bites his lip. “It's nothing.”

Leonard has talked to the guy for all of half an hour and he can already tell that's bullshit. “You wanna try that again?”

Expression turning sheepish, Jim ducks his head. “It's getting late, isn't it? It looks like Joanna’s out for the count.”

Leonard can't help but look back down at his daughter, affection blooming warmly in his chest. “Yeah,” he says, gently stroking her hair. “She probably won't even wake up when I carry her out to the car.”

He can feel himself still smiling down at her when Jim clears his throat. Glancing up, Leonard finds Jim facing him with a determined look.

“I realize you're busy, but would you like to get coffee sometime?”

Leonard’s brows creep up his forehead. “What?”

“Do you wanna get coffee?” Jim repeats, face pinking. “With me? My hours are kind of crazy right now, but I'm sure we could find an hour somewhere?”

Leonard is a little rusty, but he knows an invitation when he hears one. “You're asking me out?” he asks anyway.

Jim nods quickly.

“I'm flattered, but there's easier ways to network-”

“I'm not trying to make your acquaintance,” Jim says, pulling a face. “I'm trying to- well, kiss you.” He sighs. “You're really not making this easy, man. If you don't want to, that's fine, but don't drag it out…”

Clearing his throat, Leonard lifts a hand and flaps it at Jim. When Jim just frowns at him, Leonard rolls his eyes. “Give me your phone so I can put my number in it.”

Jim fumbles with his costume but eventually manages to free his phone.

Leonard takes it and carefully enters his name and cell phone number. “I keep my phone on silent when I'm at work,” he says as he hands it back. Just leave a message or text me, all right? I'll get back to you when I have a break.”

Accepting his phone back, Jim looks up at him with a tentative smile. “I'll text you now so you have my number.”

Later, when Jo is old enough to go to her own Halloween parties and Jim and Leonard are the ones intentionally dressing in matching costumes, their friends will swear they saw the relationship coming. After all, their costumes matched, and what better way to judge a relationship than by that?


End file.
